Boku no Kanon
by Keiya Taiko
Summary: [One Shot]One year has passed since the manga's end, but, the loneliness and emptiness in Eichi's heart from when Mitsuki left him still remains...


**Boku no Kanon…**

**By Keiya **

* * *

Eichi Sakurai and Full Moon o Sagashite are copyrighted and owned by Arina Tanemura and Ribon Manga.

* * *

_To hearts who have once been broken by love…_

* * *

It's a somewhat quiet day. Two people were walking down a street in Tokyo.

One of them was a girl who had neck-length dark brown hair, and was wearing a red blouse, a navy blue skirt and a white silk shawl, while the other was a blonde-haired boy, who was wearing a light blue polo and white pants.

"So, where to now, Shiori-san?" the blonde-haired young man asked the girl.

"Anywhere, I guess, Ei-kun." Shiori said, smiling.

"Hey… don't call me that name." The blonde-haired boy said, looking a bit irritated. "My name's Eichi, you know."

"Exactly!" Shiori said, winking at him. "But Ei-kun's much, cuter, and it fits you better, you know."

"Oh…" Eichi said, looking a bit peeved. He sighed, and grinned a bit. "Oh, well, I guess I'll let that slip for now."

"Mou… you're so serious, Ei-kun." Shiori said, laughing a bit. "Come on, we're off duty today, so let's just enjoy our time as normal people…"

Eichi Sakurai and his partner, Shiori, were both tenshi, guardian angels, who help, guide and protect people. They say that people whose souls are pure and gentle enough end up becoming tenshi, much like people who have died in sorrow and pain become shinigami.

It's been a few months since Eichi fully became a tenshi, even though, compared to other tenshi, his wings were of tainted white, and they were very small. Shiori told him that it takes time for the wings to grow, and that it took her almost a year before she was able to full realize her wings.

Today happens to be their day off work. One of the privileges of being a tenshi was that one could transform into a normal human during that day.

"Well, alright, then…" Eichi said, as they entered a shopping district.

"Ne, ne, Ei-kun…" Shiori pointed to a large screen that was mounted on one of the buildings. "Look, that's Mitsuki Kouyama, the idol who just recently topped the charts with her new Single she performed with that former Route L singer!"

Eichi looked up at the screen to see a teenage Mitsuki Kouyama, talking with what seemed to be the host of the show, and who was holding hands with a man who had his hair in a ponytail. He knew that person's name…

_Takuto Kira…_

… _The one who Mitsuki chose…_

Suddenly, he felt as if someone had stabbed him in the heart. But it wasn't a new feeling… it was, rather, as if the stab had just made a wound that was already there more painful.

"Mitsuki…" Eichi whispered softly, clutching his heart. He wasn't able to hear what they were saying. All he could see was that Mitsuki… she was laughing, smiling, and holding hands with Takuto. She was happy…

"Oh, I see… it's her 17th birthday today!" Shiori said, and then gasped. "Uwaaa!!! A kiss on the cheek! Mitsuki-chan and Takuto-chan are so cute together, right, Ei-kun?"

Shiori stopped as she saw Eichi clutching his heart close, and a look of sadness on his face.

"Mitsuki…" Eichi smiled sadly. "I loved her…" Eichi looked at Shiori sadly, who looked really worried.

"Ei-kun…" Shiori clutched his arm. "Sorry… I didn't know…"

"But, at least…" Eichi said softly. "… At least she's happy, right…? She's happy… but… why…"

Tears started flowing down his cheeks.

"Shiori-san… why is there such a deep pain in my heart…?" Eichi looked away from Shiori. He stole a gaze at the screen again, with Mitsuki performing a duet song with Takuto. "I'm supposed to be happy for her… but… but why can't I stop crying…? Why…?"

"Ei-kun…" Shiori said, letting go of Eichi's hand.

"Shiori-san…" Eichi said calmly, wiping his tears. "I'm sorry, but… I need to be alone right now…"

He then bolted away from her, ignoring her cries as he ran faster and faster.

"Ei-kun? Where are you going? Please don't leave me alone! Ei-kun!"

* * *

Eichi sat down on a bench, tired from running. He had reached a small park while running. It was silent, and felt distant from the busy and noisy parts of town. In fact, aside from a man who was painting the spring flowers in the park, there was no one in that small park that day.

He had forgotten that being human meant that he would worry about fatigue and hunger again. He pulled his legs closer to his body, and curled up into a ball.

"Mitsuki…" Eichi whispered her name softly. He remembered the last time he saw her…

It was one year ago… when she confessed her love to Takuto…

When she kissed that man, he felt as if someone had destroyed him…

… No, it would have been less painful if someone HAD destroyed him.

… The one person he cherished greater than anything in the world…

The one who he gave up heaven and hell for…

… She had left him for another person…

_Everything… I've done everything for Mitsuki, but…_

… _I guess everything's not enough…?_

He buried his face in his hands, unable to hold back his tears.

"Araaa, it's unsightly for someone like you to cry like that…"

"Huh…?"

Eichi wiped his face, and looked around. He saw a girl who looked to be about 6 or 7 years old sitting on the bench, looking at him with a smile. She was wearing a white tank dress and had long, dark bluish hair.

She smiled and tapped his nose.

"Especially for a tenshi like you…" The girl said. "Mou… I guess that's why you still have those kinds of wings, Eichi-san."

"But… how…" Eichi looked a bit dumb folded.

"Hee, I'm an angel just like you!" the girl exclaimed, standing on the bench and giving him a 'peace' sign with her fingers. "And while I look young, I'm your sempai, Eichi-san! I know a lot about you! About how you defied heaven for a girl, and stayed with her on Earth! And even if she didn't choose you in the end! That took some real heart! I guess that's why the higher-ups didn't think twice about immediately making you a tenshi."

She sat down next to him, and gave a gentle look. The part about Mitsuki not choosing him struck a chord.

"… But, even though you've tried to make peace with her… it wasn't that easy, huh…?"

"I… I guess so…" Eichi said, feeling he could say this to her.

"Awwww, don't worry, Eichi-san!" she said. "Being your sempai, I think I'm the best to approach on these matters. So, please, tell me, what's on your mind?"

Eichi smiled sadly.

"I've told her, 'Even if it was me, even if I was crying, I'd just be happy to see you smile, Mitsuki'." He said, not looking at her. "What I've said is true… as long as Mitsuki was happy, I felt that I should be happy too, for her…"

He clutched his chest softly, starting to feel the tears fall again. The pain in his heart started to worsen again.

"But, even though I've tried to accept that she loves another… there is this emptiness in my heart… it formed when she left me… the more I try to move on, the stronger the pain becomes. But, I guess… it's not her fault, but mine's. I was never enough for anyone, in life, and now as a tenshi."

A soft melody began to play softly in the air. It was an orchestrated piece, one that started out with violins.

She smiled softly, closing her eyes.

"Nee, Eichi-san, do you know this song?" she asked him.

"Hmmm…" Eichi listened to the song closely, which he traced to the radio of the man who was painting the flowers. "It sounds familiar, but I don't remember the name."

"It's called 'Canon'. Pachelbel's 'Canon'. It's a really nice song… it repeats the same melody over and over again. But, each time it repeats, it introduces other new melodies, even better than the ones before it. But, through it all, that one melody stays the same, regardless of everything else. Life is like that… though there are many changes that happen around us, there are still those things that remain the same. Such as our feelings of love and compassion which transcend time and space.

"We have strong feelings for our loved ones, and they will always be in our hearts. But, the world is not a place where all of our feelings are confined to just one state. Even the kind of love we have changes across time. Even if our hearts stay the same, we must always take one step forward to that more beautiful, more wonderful melody."

She smiled and looked at him. Her tiny hand gently held his.

"You can never be happy if you hate yourself, Eichi-san. Yu can also never truly love until you've learned to love yourself. Once, you're learned to love yourself, because of her… please try to find that love again…

"That's why your wings are taking a lot of time to develop. Eichi-san, our wings are our hearts. We tenshi can only realize our wings when our hearts are finally free of the shackles that have chained it when we were alive. It doesn't have to happen quickly, but… little by little, if we try to change, while keeping all of our love the same, we can realize our happiness, and our wings.

"Eichi-san, I believe that Mitsuki-san still loves you, and she still keeps you close to her heart. But, she has moved on to what her heart believes will give her happiness. But, deep inside, I know she wants you to be happy, too, Eichi-san, and she wants you to find your melody, your own happiness…"

Both of them remained silent for a moment. It was as if the whole world was drowned out, and Eichi could only hear the soft melody soothing his heart. He pressed his hand against his chest, closed his eyes, and smiled.

_I… I think I understand it now… _

_Mitsuki… I love Mitsuki…_

_And she… she wants me to be happy… _

_... Even if it's not with her._

"And…" Eichi said. "… I'm really not making her wishes come true by staying in the past, huh?"

"Sort of like that." He heard her say. "Eichi-san, everyone deserves to be happy. Even tenshi like us."

"Happiness…" Eichi said softly.

_I love Mitsuki… _

… _I'll always keep her close._

_But… it's time to find my own happiness…_

"Thank you…" Eichi opened his eyes as he heard the last notes of the song, "Canon". "I guess I'm OK now…"

The girl smiled. "That's nice. Oh, it seems like it's time for me to go back now. But let's talk again sometime, when we meet again, alright?"

"Yeah…" Eichi said, and then he remembered something. "Oh, yeah, by the way, I didn't catch your name…"

"I've been called too many names…" She said, smiling softly as she began to walk away from him. "But, there's one name that I like among all of them… I want you to call me, 'Kibou'"…"

"Kibou, eh…?" Eichi said to himself, as Kibou continued to walk away from him, fading away until she was gone.

He raised his eyes to the sky, and found a couple of birds flying over him. The sky has never looked as clear, or as delightful to him as it looked before.

_To find my own happiness…_

It was a beautiful day in spring, and the flowers were once again in full bloom, after the cold, unforgiving winter…

After taking a deep breath, he stood and started walking.

He now knew exactly what to do.

* * *

"Ahaha, that's some party going on there…" Yoneya Tanaka said, sweeping the leave in front of the Kouyama residence. "I can't believe that Mitsuki's finally seventeen! And with such a nice boyfriend to boot! I feel like I'm getting younger, tee-hee…"

"Um, excuse me…" Tanaka heard someone say. She looked up, and saw a young man with blonde hair, carrying a bouquet of roses.

"Oh, hello there!" Tanaka said, moving towards the young man. "Oh, wow! Roses! For me?"

The young man chuckled, and shook his head. "Mitsuki-san lives here, right? Can you please give this to her for me, and tell her Happy Birthday…?"

"Awww…" Tanaka looked a little down, but she accepted the roses graciously. "Yeah, she's here. And who are you?"

"… I'm her biggest fan." The young man said, which made Tanaka laugh heartily. The young man smiled softly in return. "Can you please… make sure it reaches her?"

"Of course." Tanaka said. "Leave it to me."

"Thanks…" The man said, before waving goodbye.

A few moments later, Mitsuki came out.

"Nee, Tanaka-san, who was that person…?" She asked.

"Ah… such a nice boy…" Tanaka said. "And he's cute to boot! He looks familiar, though… anyway…" She gave Mitsuki the rose bouquet. "He told me he was your biggest fan, and that he wanted you to have this and a Happy Birthday."

"Biggest fan…" Mitsuki looked puzzled as she held the bouquet in her hands. A small card fell out of the roses. The card had a handwritten note on the outside that read _To Mitsuki_. Mitsuki picked up the card, opened it up, and read the letter inside.

_To Mitsuki-chan,_

_Happy birthday to you, and I know there's many more to come. _

_Thanks to you, I have learned… to love myself, as you have loved me… _

_I'll strive, one step at a time, to realize my answer. _

_Keep shining, brighter than anything, and be a light to everyone._

_Until we meet again._

_Till then, you will always have a special place in my heart…_

_Full Moon o Miteiru Hito_

* * *

While he was walking away from the Kouyama residence, Eichi head a familiar voice calling him.

"Ei-kun…?"

Turning around, Eichi saw Shiori, tears flowing in her eyes, her gentle hands wrapping her shawl around herself.

"Shiori-san…" Eichi said softly, walking up to her.

"I was scared…" Shiori said softly between sobs.

"Hm…?"

"I was really scared…" Shiori continued, her voice breaking. "R-really, really scared… Ei-kun… I thought… what if… what if you ended up like Makoto…!?"

Eichi was taken aside by this. Makoto, Shiori's old partner, according to the other tenshi, was consumed by his loneliness and heartbreak that he faded away into emptiness; fit to be neither an angel, nor a ghost…

"Dummy… You're the world's biggest dummy, Ei-kun!" Shiori said, running into Eichi's arms, hugging her tightly. "I don't want to lose you! P-please… I don't want to lose anyone anymore…"

She continued sobbing as Eichi caressed her hair softly.

"Don't worry, Shiori-san…" Eichi said, pulling her closer to an embrace. "I'm alright now… I am… truly alright now…"

"P-promise…?"

"Yes… I promise…" Eichi said softly. He continued to hold her closer, feeling her sobs grow softer and softer.

As that moment, he felt a soft rustle of feathers behind him. Looking around, he saw the most beautiful pair of white wings around him. He then felt them enveloping the two of them.

Now that he has finally found his answer, his wings have been fully realized.

"They're beautiful…" Shiori whispered softly, wiping a tear as she looked at them. "More beautiful than any angel…"

"… Yeah…" Eichi said. "… I guess they are."

He then looked up to the sky, and smiled.

* * *

"Um, Ei-kun…"

"Eh? What?"

The sun was setting, and the tenshi duo was walking down the street, away from the Kouyama residence.

"W-what was…? Mitsuki-chan, right…? What the qualities that made you love her…?" Shiori asked, pausing and looking down.

"What do you mean…?" Eichi asked, looking puzzled.

"Mitsuki-chan… you loved her very much, right? I wanted to know… what Mitsuki had that made her a very special person to you…" She explained.

"Ah…" At that moment, he had understood what she was asking.

Eichi shook his head. He gave her a warm smile.

"Shiori-san…" Eichi said. "… You don't have to become Mitsuki for me…"

"H-huh…?"

"Mitsuki is Mitsuki… and Shiori is Shiori." Eichi said, looking into the distance. "It's true that it was Mitsuki-chan who taught me to love, but… it is Shiori-chan… it's Shiori-chan who makes me happy."

He then gazed at Shiori.

"So, you don't have to be Mitsuki for me. Shiori-chan, you're the one, not Mitsuki, who gives me happiness…"

Shiori's face suddenly lit up, and tears of joy began to stream down her face.

"Ei-kun!"

Eichi held her hand gently. "So, just continue being Shiori-chan… the Shiori-chan I've come to know…"

"H-hai…" Shiori said, wiping the tears from her face.

They then continued walking, their hands laced together.

"So, where to now, Ei-kun?" Shiori asked, tugging on his sleeve.

"Since we're still on off-duty… on the way here, I found a really nice ice cream parlor. The people back at the office say they serve the best vanilla ice cream in this side of the world. And I know how much you like ice cream, Shiori-chan…" Eichi said.

"R-Really!? Ah… so you've been listening to me…" Shiori said, looking down for a bit.

"Of course! It's a man's promise." Eichi said, raising his index finger. He saw a strange look of surprise on Shiori's face. "Why the face? I asked around what your likes and dislikes are, being that you're my partner and all."

"Ei-kun!" Shiori said, smiling eagerly. "So you're really cool and nice like they said after all!"

"Aha ha ha…" Eichi smiled softly, feeling at peace. This was the first time he recognized how sweet her smile was…

"So, it's a date, then?" Shiori asked.

"Hee, guess so." Eichi said, scratching his head. "But don't eat too much now… ice cream goes straight down to your thighs and makes you fat…" he added with a snicker.

"Grrr… mou… you're mean, Ei-kun!" Shiori stuck out her tongue.

"Hee… you're so cute when you do that… sort of like a little kid." Eichi said, patting Shiori on the head.

"Hey, for your information, seeing that you're FOURTEEN, and I'm SIXTEEN, I'm your oneesan, Ei-CHAN." Shiori remarked, stressing the CHAN before running off.

"E… Ei-chan!?" Eichi looked a little bit bewildered, but as Shiori started running, he gave another smile. But, this smile was different. There was no longer any hint of sadness in his smile. It was one of pure and untainted happiness…

_After all… my dreams… my story… it's just the beginning… _

_I love Mitsuki… _

… _She taught me to find my happiness…_

… _For her, little by little, with each passing moment…_

… _I'll strive to find my own happiness…_

… _So in the end, I can truly tell Mitsuki and myself that I love myself… _

… _The self that Mitsuki wants me to love as much as she loved me… _

He then gave chase to Shiori, who had then created a somewhat substantial distance between the two of them.

"Hey, come back here! Or else I won't buy you ice cream!"

"But you gave a man's promise!" Shiori stuck her tongue out again at him. "Break it and you'll go back to being a boy!"

"H-hey!!!"

* * *

Author's Notes:

I hope you enjoyed this little one-shot. It has been a long time since I have written anything, so please feel free to leave any remarks to help me improve my writing.

Yes, the character Shiori is slightly patterned after Shiori Misaka of Kanon 2006.

_Full Moon o Miteiru Hito_ means 'One Who Watches the Full Moon'.

The word 'Kibou' literally means 'hope' in Japanese.

If you're not familiar with Johann Sebastian Pachelbel's "Canon in D", it's a very nice classical music piece. Much like noted in the 2006 Kanon anime, Kanon repeats the same melody of 8 notes, from which, little by little, more instruments and richer, complex melodies are added. The result is the gradual increased strength and beauty of the entire song. There are many Youtube videos where you can find various versions of Canon, but what I like the best are still the ones by orchestras.

I wrote this fic because the Mitsuki x Eichi pairing is one of my favorite pairings ever in the history of anime. Even though Mitsuki ended up with Takuto, I think I wouldn't have it any other way. The Mitsuki x Takuto ending made me further like Eichi's character, because he is a caring, sacrificing, and good person. I wanted to write a fic about his caring nature.

The other reason why I wrote this fic was to make sure that he, too, had a happy ending, because he deserves it. More than anyone else in all of Full Moon o Sagashite, he deserves a good ending.

* * *

Boku no Kanon © 2007 


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